Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are all likely to make strikers a priority for the January transfer window, with some talks already taking place, while other targets may not be realistic until the summer.
Sources with a close understanding of Ivan Toney’s situation at Brentford have informed CaughtOffside that the player’s entourage has been in contact with both Chelsea and Arsenal, with the England international seemingly a strong option for both clubs this winter.
Despite some reports stating that Toney could cost anywhere between £80-100m, CaughtOffside understands that there is a realistic expectation at Brentford that they might get closer to £55m, with some suggestion that Arsenal even hope to negotiate that price down even further.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are admirers of Toney but there has been some indication that they’ve cooled their interest somewhat, with the Blues hoping to make Napoli striker Victor Osimhen a priority instead, though this might require waiting until next summer as his current club remain absolutely determined not to sell a star player in the middle of the season.
Chelsea did eventually manage to break Benfica down last January, however, when they paid big money for Enzo Fernandez even though it seemed unlikely at various points that the Portuguese giants would sanction a deal. One factor in Chelsea’s favour as well is the fact that there has been no progress over a new contract for Osimhen at Napoli, with the Nigeria international increasingly leaning towards trying a new experience elsewhere.
Chelsea have been in constant contact over Osimhen, so it’s clear they are eager to make this ambitious deal work, though with Nicolas Jackson’s form also improving recently, it might be the case that the west London giants feel it’s worth waiting until the summer to secure their top target, instead of moving for Toney just because he might be more easily attainable straight away.
Tottenham are also considering making a move for a new striker after failing to replace Harry Kane in the summer, with Juventus front-man Dusan Vlahovic one of the names on their list, while Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez has also been closely monitored.
CaughtOffside understands Gimenez is Spurs’ preferred option, but Vlahovic is also being considered due to his situation at Juventus, with the Serbia international not looking likely to sign a new contract.
Like Osimhen, however, Vlahovic is another player who might have to wait until the summer to move, while Juve also won’t let him go cheap, with his valuation understood to be in the region of €80m.